


Reflections in the Snow

by Ruddcatha



Series: Ruddcatha's Inuyasha One Shots [14]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, First snowfall, Fluff, Longing, Love, Post canon, memories and reflections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28151973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruddcatha/pseuds/Ruddcatha
Summary: Inuyasha stands amidst the first falling snow, reflecting on memories of winter and the person who taught him to love.A Birthday story forNartista!
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Series: Ruddcatha's Inuyasha One Shots [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081619
Comments: 36
Kudos: 58





	Reflections in the Snow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nartista](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nartista/gifts).



A solitary figure stood in the clearing, his face turned to the sky and the falling snow. Long silver hair glistened in the faded light, a stark contrast to the red clothing he wore. He took a deep breath, letting the scent of winter wash over him, the air crisp with a sharp bite as it filled his lungs. Triangular ears at the top of the man’s head flicked once as he tried to listen to the sounds of life around him.

Inuyasha knew all too well how snow was both beautiful and dangerous, full of misery and moments of joy at the same time. Golden eyes closed as glittering ice landed on and melted into his skin. It was something so small, so _normal_ , when nothing else had been. Those who knew him now had become accustomed to this strange habit of his, standing exposed during the first fall of snow each winter, yet only a select few knew the reason why.

He had once been afraid of snow: afraid of what it meant, and of the hardships it brought. He had spent too many snow-filled nights scrapping for food, trying to find something, anything, edible in the frozen world around him. It hadn’t taken him long as a child to realize that snow meant that food options would disappear as animals sought shelter and warmth, and the few edible plants he could recognize lay under layers of ice. Survival meant staying near a stream, finding fish under the frozen layers, but that was fraught with perils of its own. Inuyasha had faced one too many brushes with the freezing waters, unable to build a fire for fear of becoming prey himself, as he prayed to a God that he didn’t believe in that he would wake up again the next day. 

The first harsh winter had taught him well, and he had learned the warning scent of the frozen sky, and he had learned to seek shelter and secure food before it became scarce, surviving with his fire rat for warmth, alert each night for any predator seeking to share or claim his space. With the end of each storm he would run, carrying what he could easily, seeking new grounds, new shelters, not letting his scent get too familiar in any one place. 

He had hated the winter.

Inuyasha’s eyes opened as he heard a branch crack, his eyes darting to the side to watch a deer shiver as it made its way through the forest. 

If it could find shelter, he knew it would be safe. Inuyasha always made sure that his woods were free from predators and yokai that would threaten the peace and tranquility of the village and its food source. His lips curled into a sad smile. It had been snowing the day he had made the choice to make the forest _his_. He had chosen to stay in one area, forcibly pushing away years of honed instinct, for one reason.

Kikyo.

He had been alone for too many years, deprived of any conversation that didn’t devolve into threats or fights to the death for no other reason than what he was. A half-breed, an abomination. The rumored Shikon no Tama held the solution: a chance to shed his ties to humanity and embrace his yokai. At first, the miko who had protected it had fired her arrows at him whenever he got too close, subduing him, but never killing him. 

She was the first person he had met who had actively tried _not_ to kill him. Inuyasha had no clue why, but he couldn’t make himself walk away from the one person who wasn’t seeking to destroy him on sight. Kikyo had kept the jewel from him but had offered him something he hadn’t realized he had craved.

Affection.

By the time winter had come around the year they had met, he had become addicted to the small snippets of time where he could hear a kind word, be given a smile. Even though they never touched, he didn’t feel quite so alone. When the first snow came, his mind had screamed at him to move on, yet he had found himself carving out his own space in a nearby mountain. A space that was his by design, not one he borrowed for an evening or during a storm. He had stayed there the entire winter, chasing the most basic of human contact and semblance of affection… at least until it had all fallen apart on them.

He caught the faint scent of vanilla and roses among the snow, and his smile grew warmer. 

It was amazing how big a difference having others to truly share winter with made on one’s perspective. The year he had spent away from his forest had been fraught with its own troubles, but Inuyasha had never been happier. For the first time since his childhood, he had been able to have a futon to sleep on during a storm, tucked away in a warm room, surrounded by friends and laughter. The different perspective had allowed him to see the beauty of snow as it covered the land in a blanket of peace, rather than the threat. Even when they hadn’t been able to find lodgings, the nights hadn’t seemed quiet as bleak because there had been others there.

Because _she_ had been there.

Kagome Higurashi.

He would never forget the first time the snow had fallen on their journey. He had watched as she had thrown back her head, bubbling with laughter, as she had spun with joy. The snow had sparkled like diamonds against her long raven hair, and when she had turned to look at him, her stormy gray eyes were dancing. If she hadn’t already held his heart, it would have tumbled at her feet in that one moment. 

Everything he had thought he had known about trust and affection had been shattered as he had traveled with her. Kagome had challenged him, making him want to do more, to do better, to accept himself for who he was, and not for who others wanted him to be. She had been as fiercely protective of him as he had been of her. All by herself, one girl had opened him up, and showed him the true meaning of friendship, companionship, _family_. No longer did he think of family as the people he was related to by blood. Instead, he realized that family was the people who chose to be with him: his family was Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and above all, Kagome. His beautiful, imperfect Kagome.

The soft sound of a footstep on the snow made his ears lower as his eyes closed. The snow carried the memory of that moment: her laughter, her nose beginning to turn red from the cold as she had smiled, her tongue sticking out to catch a flake as she giggled. For three years he had stood here to greet the first snow, his thoughts centered on the girl who had been taken from his side. The snow had a way of muffling the world, leaving him in peace with his memories. At times like this it was easy to imagine her there, her eyes sparking as she teased him, waiting to throw a handful of snow at him, to force him out of his shell. Where he had once longed for the snow to stop falling, he had come to dread it. The sun always forced him to admit that he was reaching for a dream.

A slim pair of arms slid around his waist, and he felt a petite figure press itself against him with a slight shiver. Eight moons ago his fervent prayers had been granted, and Kagome had returned to him. He didn’t know why, he didn’t know how, but he hadn’t questioned it. It was the Gods’ way of fixing their wrongs, their reward for what Inuyasha and Kagome had done in the fight with Naraku. 

Inuyasha turned in her embrace to wrap his arms around Kagome, drawing her against his chest as he leaned down and buried his nose in her hair. He took a deep breath and let her soothe his thoughts; her scent, her touch, bringing him back to the here and now, with her.

“Idiot, it’s too cold out here for you,” he whispered, bending to pick her up, cradling her against his chest. “What were you thinking?”

A soft hand caressed his cheek as he looked down at the smiling face of his wife. “I wanted to share the snow with you.”

When they reached the door to their hut, Inuyasha lowered her to the ground before removing his robe to wrap her in it. He circled her before drawing her back into his embrace, his chin resting on her head as he held her against him for warmth while they watched the snow falling together. 

He placed a kiss to the top of Kagome’s head and heard her sigh with happiness. He would never face another winter alone. He had his Kagome: his mate, his wife, and in seven months, they would welcome their first child. 

Inuyasha would always associate winter with this exact moment, when he knew he was finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [NeutronStarChild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeutronStarChild/pseuds/NeutronStarChild) and [Fawn_Eyed_Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn_Eyed_Girl/pseuds/Fawn_Eyed_Girl) for your assistance with this story!


End file.
